Orthopedic sandal



Dec. 1962 G. c. RiECKEN ORTHOPEDIC SANDAL 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

Filed Sept. 8, 1960 INV E NTOR 650ml: (he: F/fCkf/V.

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ATTORNEY Dec. 4, 1962 G. c. RIECKEN 3,066,678

ORTHOPEDIC SANDAL Filed Sept. 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 3,666, d78 GRTHGPEDlC SANDAL George Carl Rieelren, 140%Washington Ave, Evansville 14, End. Filed Sept. 8, 1969, Ser. No. 54,626Glairns. (Cl. l2$6ll7) This invention relates in general to new anduseful improvements in orthopedic footwear, and more specificallyrelates to a novel orthopedic sandal for the treatment of hallux valgus.

Hallux valgus is a deformity of the foot, in which the head of the firstmetatarsal bone is adducted and separated from its fellows, while thegreat toe is turned outward or abuductcd to a greater or lesser degree.Thus, although the area of the toes is contracted, the fore-foot isactually broadened. A painful bunion frequently, but not necessarily,accompanies hallux valgus. l-lallux valgus is most frequently caused byimproper footwear, al though it may be a result of an injury or adisease such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis.

Mild cases of hallux valgus are customarily treated by the use of arubber device inserted between the great toe and the second toe. On theother hand, more serious cases are treated through the use of a devicewhich is clamped about the arch and the great toe and employs a springto urge the great toe away from the second toe. Neither of these devicesis suitable to a person wearing a shoe and as a result is normally onlyworn at night time, thereby greatly restricting the period of treatment.

In View of the foregoing, it is the primary object of this invention toprovide a simple orthopedic sandal which may be worn for walkingpurposes without unnecessary discomfort and at the same time serving togradually bring the first metatarsal bone back into the normal alignmentwith the first proximal phalanx bone.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel orthopedic sandalwhich incorporates a strap for holding the sole of the sandal inposition with respect to the foot through the use of a strap forengagement with the foot in the vicinity of the arch and heel, and a toestrap carried by the sole and adjustable to gradually urge the great toeback into position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sole and straprelationship in an orthopedic sandal, the sole being formed of at leastthree layers including an outsole, an insole and a midsole, the midsolebeing provided with suitable strap receiving channels whereby adjustmentof the strap may be accomplished by sliding the strap through the sole.

A further object of the invention is to provide a very simple orthopedicsandal for the treatment of hallux valgus, the sandal being formedprimarily of a sole, orthopedic heel and a securing strap, said strapbeing adjustable relative to the sole and in addition to serving thefunction of securing the sandal to the foot, including a forward toeloop for receiving the great toe and urging the bones of the great toeback into alignment with the normal line which passes through the centerof the heel from the center of the great toe, the toe loop beingadjustable to provide the proper corrective pressure to naturally easethe toe into the normal alignment.

Hallux valgus is frequently produced by a weak foot and flatfoot as aresult of excessive weight-bearing upon the inner side of the foot, thuspushing the great toe out wardly. To this end, it is also an object ofthe invention to provide a novel orthopedic sandal for the treatment ofhallux valgus which, in addition to providing means for urging the bonesof the great toe back into the normal alignment, includes an archsupport incorporated in the sole of the sandal to provide the necessaryarch support.

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With the above, and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by referenceto the following detailed description, the appended claims .and theseveral views illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation perspective view of a right orthopedic sandalformed in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the insole and shows the arrangementof strap receiving openings formed therein.

FIGURE 2A is a perspective view of tie arch support insert for thesandal sole.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the midsole and shows the arrangementof strap channels formed therein.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the outsole.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the orthopedic heel removed from thesole of the sandal.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken along theline 6-6 of FIGURE 1 and shows the relationship of the strap withrespect to the sole which permits the adjustment of the strap.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view on a reduced scale showing therelationship of the sandal and a foot including the position of thegreat toe prior to the adjustment of the strap, the strap being onlypartially shown and the foot being shown in dotted lines for thepurposes of clarity.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view on a reduced scale and is similar toFIGURE 7, but shows the strap in an adjusted large toe strai hteningposition.

Reference is now made to the drawings in detail wherein the details of aright orthopedic sandal formed in accordance with the invention, areillustrated. The overall sandal is generally referred to by the numeral9 and is best illustrated in FIGURE 1. The sandal 9 is primarily formedof a sole, generally referred to by the numeral It an orthopedic heel11, and a single strap 12.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4 wherein the details ofthe sole 1%} are clearly illustrated. The sole lltl is formed of abottom sole or outsole 13, a midsole l4 and an insole 15, all of whichare of the same size and have the same outline. These components of thesole it) are secured together in the customary manner, the details ofwhich are not shown. As is best shown in FIGURE 4, the outsole 13 is ofa fiat construction and is devoid of openings.

The insole 35, as is best shown in FIGURE 2, is provided with aplurality of slots or openings in the form of cut outs. The slotsinclude a forward most slot '16, a pair of slots l7, 18 disposedadjacent the left edge of the insole 15, a pair of slots 19, 29 disposedadjacent the right edge of the insole l5 and diagonally aligned with theslots l7, 18, respectively, and a pair of remotely disposed slots 21, 22in the heel area of the insole 15.

The details of the midsole 14 are shown in FIGURE 3, the midsole havinga plurality of cut outs formed therein. The cutous include a forwardmost slot 23 which is aligned with the slot 16 of the insole 15 inunderlying relation. A first elongated cutout or channel 24 extendstransversely and diagonally of the midsole from a position underlyingthe slot 17 to a position underlying the slot 1?. A second channel 25also extends diagonally and transversely of the midsole 14, the channel25 extending from a position underlying the slot 18 to a positionunderlying the slot it). The cutouts in the midsole 14 also include apair of remote notches 25, 27 opening through opposite edges of themidsole 14 in the heel area thereof. The notches 26, 27 being aligned inunderlying relation with the slots 21, 22, respectively.

One end of the single strap 12 is suitably anchored between the outsolel3 and the midsole 14 adjacent the slot 23 in a manner not shown. Thestrap 1.2 extends up through the aligned slots 16 and 23 and downthrough the slot 17 into the channel 24 to form a loop 23 for receivingthe great toe. The strap 12 then passes beneath the insole 15 within thechannel 24 and extends up through the slot 19. The strap 1.2 next pacsesacross the insole 1S and down through the slot fit; to define a loop 29for engaging and confining the arch portion of the foot.

The strap 12 again passes beneath the insole 15, this time passingthrough the channel 25. The strap is now shaped to define an ankleencircling loop 30 and termimates in a perforated terminal portion 31. Asmall looped strap 32 encircles the forward part of the loop 35 and isslidable thereon for adjustment. The strap 32 carries a buckle 33 whichis engageable with the perforated terminal portion 31 to complete theloop A short strap 34 is secured to the outsoie 1.3 in a manner notshown and extends up through the notcn 26 and the slot 21. The upper endof the strap is shaped to define an eye 35. A similar short strap 36 issecured to the outsole 13 and extends up through the notch 27 and theslot 22. Like the strap 34, the upper end of the strap 36 is shaped todefine an eye 37. The eyes 35 and 37 receive side portions of the loop3i to limit upward movement of the loop 3t) and to retain the loop inengagement with the heel of the wearers foot.

The general wedge shape of a triangular arch support 38 is clearly shownin FIGURE 2A. As is best shown in FIGURE 1, the arch support 38 isinserted between the midsole 14 and the insole 15 to upwardly shape theinsole intermediate the slots 18 and 21.

In FTGURE 5 the general details of the shape of the orthopedic heel 11are shown. The heel 11 may be secured to the sole 1% in any customarymanner.

In the use of the orthopedic sandal 9, the foot F is placed on the soleit) with the forward part of the strap 12 extending up between the bigtoe and the second toe, as is shown in FIGURE 7, and with the great toereceived in the loop 23, as is best shown in FIGURE 8. The loop 28 isadjusted to gently urge the great toe back into its normal alignmentwithout exerting a pain causing pressure on the great toe. As thetreatment progresses and the great toe is gradually moved back towardsthe normal alignment, the strap 12 is adjusted to decrease the size ofthe loop 28 and increase the pressure exerted on the great toe until thegreat toe is back into the normal alignment.

Due to the frictional engagement of the strap 12 with the sole 10, thesize of the loop 23 may be varied and maintained while the remainder ofthe strap may be tensioned. Thus, the strap 12 may be tensioned as isnecessary to maintain the sandal 9 on the foot F in the proper positionwhile the necessary pressure is being applied to the great toe.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel and advantageousprovision has been made for carrying out the desired end. However,attention is directed to the fact that variations may be made in theexample foot- 4 Wear disclosed herein without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. An article of footwear particularly adapted to correct hallux valgus,said footwear being in the form of an orthopedic sandal comprising asole, 2. heel on the sandal sole, first means carried by said sole forfirmly anchoring the sole to a wearers foot, and second means carried bysaid sole for engaging the great toe of the vvcarefs foot and applyingan outwardly directed corrective force thereon to urge the great toeinto its normal alignment, said first means including arch engaging loopand an ankle encircling loop, and said second means being in the form ofa great toe receiving loop, all 01 said loops being formed by a singlestrap having one end anchored to said sole.

2. An article of footwear particularly adapted to correct hallux valgus,said footwear being in the form of an orthopedic sandal comprising asole, a heel on the sandal sole, and a single strap connected to saidsole, said strap having one end fixedly anchored to said sole andintermediate portions adjustably anchored to said sole to define a rearankle encircling loop and an intermediate arch clamping loop to firmlyengage the wearers foot and a forward loop for receiving a wearers greattoe for exerting a corrective pressure thereon.

3. T he article of footwear of claim 2 wherein said sole is of agenerally multiple layer construction and has incorporated thereinbetween the layers an arch support to shape the insole surface of saidsole to provide the necessary arch support.

The article of footwear of clain 2 wherein said rear ankle encirclingloop is defined by a buckle slidably carried by an intermediate portionof said strap and a perforated terminal portion of said strapcooperating with said buckle.

5. The article of footwear of claim 2 wherein said sole is provided withtwo short straps terminating in upper eyes receiving intermediateportions of said ankle encircling loop to restrict upward movementthereof.

References fired in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSFOREIGN PATENTS 760,714 France Dec. 14, 1933 560,835 Great Britain Apr.21, 1944 1,029,757 France Mar. 11, 1953

